How John Cena has made history both in and outside of the ring
WWE was forever changed on June 27, 2002, when a then-unknown 25-year-old powerhouse by the name of John Cena stormed onto SmackDown for the very first time. Answering an open challenge issued by Kurt Angle, Cena boldly declared himself an agent of “ruthless aggression” before paint-brushing The Olympic Gold Medallist across the face. The rest, as they say, is history.
Nobody would have thought that John Cena would have become the prolific superstar that he is now, back when made his WWE debut in June of 2002. In June 2022, Cena celebrated his 20-year anniversary and since his debut in WWE, the star has set records both in and outside of the ring.
ALL ABOUT THE WINS
Cena filled the void when the legendary superstars like The Rock & Stone Cold Steve Austin left WWE and the 16-time world champion lived up to the expectations. WWE has been in business over seven decades and Cena holds the record for the most wins in the company’s history with 1743 victories, out of the 2198 matches he has competed in.
In 2017, Cena defeated AJ Styles at Royal Rumble to become the record-equalling 16-time world champion. Since then, the race for the most world titles in WWE history hasn’t really seen ground-breaking change. While it isn’t certain when, Kurt Angle firmly believes that Cena could win his 17th championship and takeover the record from The Nature Boy.
The theory is backed by legendary Hall of Famer, Triple H. “He is arguably the greatest superstar in the history of the WWE, but not only that, throughout his 20 year-long career, becoming the greatest ambassador and truly representing what it means to be a WWE Superstar,” commented Triple H.
ON THE BIG SCREEN
The WWE icon-turned-Hollywood actor made his film debut in the 2000 comedy ‘Ready to Rumble’, but it wasn’t until 2006 when landed his first starring role in the WWE production ‘The Marine’. The film Vacation Friends (2021) became the most-watched original movie during its opening weekend on the Hulu streaming platform. Cena stars in the recent Fast & Furious sequel, F9, which made more than $70 million in the United States in its first week.
The film set several pandemic box office records and grossed over $726 million worldwide, becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2021. Cena’s successes didn’t stop there – the new HBO Max series, Peacemaker (2022) season finale, broke an HBO Max record for the biggest single-day release for an HBO Max Original series ever.
GLOBAL CITIZEN
As big a star as John Cena has become within the WWE ranks; it is his off the ring work that sees the Box Office charting heavyweight entrench his name in the hearts of the millions of the WWE Universe. Eloquently narrated by former Women’s Champion and WWE Hall of Famer, Trish Stratus, as having the ability “to inspire co-workers and a generation of millions through his dedication to them,” and that makes him a one-of-a-kind.
Cena currently holds the record for the most fulfilled wishes from the Make-A-Wish foundation. Mr. Never Give Up has given hope to more than 650 kids under the age of 18. Only former WWE star Hulk Hogan and former professional racing driver Jeff Gordon have granted more than 200 wishes, making Cena the only prominent personality to break the 300 dreams barrier.
Cena’s global impact is undeniable and his ability to inspire those battling the plight of life threatening illnesses, truly makes him an icon who is for the people. His intention to be light and motivation is one of the traits that continue to see him being one of the most loved stars.
Sixteen World Title reigns, countless Attitude Adjustments and numerous Hollywood blockbusters later, Cena’s debut remains a watershed moment in sports-entertainment lore, the introduction of arguably the biggest Superstar of the modern era, if not WWE history. Don’t miss The Cenation Leader action on the WWE Network
Remember you can watch all of the latest weekly episode of WWE Raw [every Tuesday on SS variety 3 [channel 208] from 02:00am | Repeats 20:30pm] and WWE SmackDown [every Saturday on SS variety 3 from 02:00am | Repeats 10am & 17:30pm] only on SuperSport.